Karate, one of the oldest martial arts in the world, evolved over centuries in East Asia, and finally became systematized in Okinawa in the 17th century.
Traditional karate training is based on concepts such as fighting and self-defense. These activities aim at improving a person mentally, morally, and physically in their everyday life.
That’s why karate is popularly known as a weaponless way of self-defense. While some forms of karate make use of weapons, it's mainly known for being a weaponless fighting method used to defend oneself in battle.
Apart from being a weaponless martial art, it also became popular for its special emphasis on physical and mental discipline.
In short, Karate can be defined as an empty-handed martial art based on the principles of karate-do.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), known as the father of modern karate is the Okinawan who brought karate to Japan in 1922.
Karate is a martial art that employs joint locks, grappling, weapons, and any other combat system to fight an opponent. The name of the martial art comes from two kanji characters: "kara" meaning empty" and "te" which means hand."
Today there are four main styles of karate being practiced in Japan: Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu. Shotokan, though never described as a style by Gichin Funakoshi, still is widely associated with him.
Benefits of Karate for Children
The benefits of karate are many. Let’s discuss each of them below.
1. Teaches children self-defense
Teaching children the necessary skills to react or stand up against a threat is important. To date, learning self-defense maneuvers has proven to be a crucial skill and martial arts training can provide them with the necessary tools. Children who live in areas where bullying may be prevalent should learn to stand up for themselves as soon as possible. And that’s why Karate or other forms of martial art are great ways for children to counter the threat and defend themselves.
Builds Self confidence
It's never too late to learn how to defend yourself. Learning martial arts can teach children how not to be afraid of confrontation while still being respectful. Karate classes are here to provide continual encouragement and feedback, which, in combination, builds students' self-confidence levels, as well as helps, develops a well-rounded, confident personality.
3. Develop leadership skills
As children grow and start to learn higher-level martial arts, they become leaders for those who are at a lower level than them. It's not just in the physical aspects of martial arts that leadership is learned; self-leadership is a side benefit.
4. Character building
In karate, when it comes to ranking up, kids need to prove their skills to advance. Developing competence takes a lot of time, which is why they must continue to work hard. Wearing an upper-rank belt requires demonstrating sound technique- something that can only be achieved through consistent effort, perseverance, resilience, and dedication to the discipline.
5. Healthy body & mind
Regular physical activity of any kind helps kids develop their BMI and maintain a healthy weight. US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that for children, one hour of martial arts class 3 times per week is enough to meet the necessary guidelines. It also helps to boost the children's minds.
So after reading the article it's certain that karate has a lot to offer in terms of self-defense, weight loss, self-development and your over well being
I can't emphasize enough how it has helped me on a personal scale. I sincerely hope you find the article useful enough that it encourages and motivate you to start your own karate journey which helps you to discover your true self.
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